Harold walked into Denise's bedroom after he had knocked and had been asked to come in. Denise patted on the bed when Harold entered and he sat down. She was wearing a white robe and a towel was wrapped around her head, covering her hair. Harold was a bit confused when Denise's mother came downstairs to his room and told him Denise wanted to see him.
"Ma'am, you called for me?" He said, not sure what to say.
"Yes I did, Harry. You know you and I are going for a fashion show in the next two hours but I can't really decide on what to wear and I was thinking you could help me."
"Me? I don't think I know anything about women's clothing."
"You are a brutally honest person, that is why I want you to tell help me with this. So, I am finding it hard to choose from these two dresses," she pointed to a red and a blue dress sprawled out on the bed.
"Okay. So you want me to decide for you which one will fit you best?" Harold asked, seeming to get what Denise was asking of him.
Denise nodded. Harold sighed and got up to check both dresses. He stood there for a while, then decided which one will be perfect.
"The red one looks beautiful but the colour is too loud. I guess I will go with the blue one. It's simple really, but it is very elegant and has more style."
"Wow, come to think of it, you are right. The blue one is totally perfect. Thank you so much, Harry. I knew you would not disappoint me," Denise said, happily.
"Maybe, I should go and get dressed quickly and get the car ready..." Harold said but Denise cut in.
"Before you go, I have something for you."
"For me? okay."
Denise got to the side of the bed and brought out a shopping bag. She handed it over to Harold, who reluctantly took it from her hand. He narrowed his eyes at her and looked inside the bag. Denise had bought him a blue-black long-sleeved shirt, with black trousers and a new pair of black shoes. His eyes widened in shock.
"You got all this for me?"
"Yes. I got all this for you. I actually meant to thank you for everything you have done for me and everything else you continue to do for me. And for also taking all of my nonsense in without a word. I have been very rude to you lately and I am very sorry about that. Can you forgive me?"
"Ma'am. I remember I told you I don't have anything against you. I know you were going through a hard time back then, so it's okay. You did not have to go through the trouble of getting me all these," Harold replied.
"Actually, instead of your usual uniform, I want you to wear that. You are not coming with me as just my driver, you are going to be my plus one," Denise announced.
"What! No... No, I possibly couldn't...
"It is not a request. You are my plus one and that's final. Go get dressed, I will meet you downstairs."
"Alright, ma'am." Harold gave in because he knew once Denise decided on something there was no way to change her mind about it. He excused himself and left Denise alone to dress up.
Denise was already running late, but she did not care. All she wanted to do was to look perfect for someone. But, who? She suddenly remembered the day she met up with Ransford the first time at the restaurant. He could hardly take his eyes off her. Denise smiled to herself. "Those were good times," she said and continued to apply the lipstick on her soft plump lips. When she was finally done, she went downstairs and met her mother who was also on her way out to meet some of the party officials for a meeting. Her mother looked at her up and down in total shock.
"I would never have thought you could actually go all out like this. You look stunning."
"Thank you, mother. And you look good as well," she replied.
"Thank you, baby girl. Can we go now?"
"Of course mother, we can."
Both women smiled at each other and walked out. Harold stood by the car, waiting for Denise to come out. He had been out here for almost an hour and there was no sign of Denise or her mother. Her mother was not the type to usually go out for a date or anything else. But since she became a parliamentary candidate, everything changed. She even got herself a driver and two bodyguards. When the two women finally came out of the house, Harold was so mesmerized with what he saw. Denise was looking very beautiful in her dress. He just realized he made the perfect choice for her after all.
"Harry, hey, can we go now? You zoned out a bit, are you okay?" She waved her hand in front of him, bringing him back to reality.
"Yes... yes, sorry. You look very stunning, ma'am." He blinked a few times and said.
"Thank you. So, mother, enjoy your evening, okay?" she turned to her mother.
"You too, baby girl. Have a great evening. Take care both of you and goodbye," she kissed her daughter's cheek and went to sit in her car which was in front of Denise's. One of the bodyguards sat beside her at the back seat and drove off.
Then she and Harold drove off to Elena's fashion show. The show was been held at the big auditorium in the centre of the city. When they got there, Denise picked her purse and invitation card from the seat and got down when Harold opened the door for her. She offered her hand to Harold, who took it and smiled at her. They both walked into the place, hand in hand, while some of the other people there stared at them and whispered amongst themselves.
Denise showed her invitation card to the guard at the entrance, who allowed them in. They were shown to their seats by an attendant, who had already been told of Denise being present at the function. Since Denise was the guest of honor, she sat at the front row with some prominent people in the world of fashion. The program had not started yet, so Denise took it upon herself to go look for Elena before the show started.
Elena was in one of the rooms, that was located behind the stage. She was pacing up and down in the room, looking very nervous when she heard a knock at her door. She walked towards the door and opened it, only to come face to face with her beautiful best friend, who was looking stunning in her dress. She looked her up and down, too shocked to say anything.